BAINBRIDGE, Ga. (Jan. 21, 2013) – FLW College Fishing is headed
to Lake Seminole Feb. 1 for the first of four stops in the
Southeastern Conference. Fifty college teams will be competing
for a top award of $2,000 and a berth in the Southeastern
Conference Invitational tournament.
“I was just fishing on Seminole last week,” said Straight
Talk pro Scott Canterbury of Springville, Ala., who finished
third when the Rayovac FLW Series visited Lake Seminole in
2013. “The college anglers are definitely going to be fishing
shallow. It’s all pre-spawn patterns right now.
“The key to this tournament will be finding the submerged
vegetation and fishing around the grass,” Canterbury
continued. “Look for the spawning areas. The fish will be staged
up on the big flats. If you can find the right grass, hydrilla
and coon tails you will have a good shot at winning.”
Canterbury said that he expects the most popular baits in
this event to be Rat-L-Traps, jerkbaits and umbrella rigs.
“For those that throw a Rat-L-Trap, they’ll be targeting 4
to 8 feet of water,” Canterbury continued. “The umbrella rig
guys will be fishing a little deeper, from 6 to 12 feet.
“You’re fishing for eight to 10 bites all day long. You’re
not catching 20 fish a day, but the ones that you do catch are
going to average 4 or 5 pounds. I think the winning team will
bring 24 to 26 pounds to the scales.”
Canterbury said that fish will be caught everywhere, but
did give the college teams a little advice on where to start.
“The whole lake is good,” Canterbury went on to say. “But,
I like to fish the main lake area within five miles of where the
Flint and Chattahoochee Rivers meet. I feel like that is the
most fertile area of the lake. That being said, you can catch
them anywhere on the lake.”
Anglers will take off from Bainbridge Earle May Boat Basin
located at 100 Boat Basin Circle in Bainbridge, Ga., at 7:30
a.m. Saturday. Weigh-in will be held at the park beginning at 3
p.m. Takeoff and weigh-in are free and open to the public.
FLW College Fishing teams compete in three qualifying events in
one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern,
Southeastern and Western. The top 15 teams from each regular-
season tournament will qualify for one of five conference
invitational tournaments. The top 10 teams from each conference
invitational tournament will advance to the 2015 FLW College
Fishing National Championship.
College Fishing is free to enter and FLW Outdoors provides
boats and drivers for each competing team along with travel
allowances. All participants must be registered, full-time
undergraduate students at a four-year college or university and
members of a fishing club recognized by their college or
university.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more,
follow College Fishing on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing
and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing. Visit
CollegeFishing.com to sign up or to start a club at your school.
ABOUT FLW
FLW is the industry’s premier tournament-fishing organization,
providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete
for millions in prize money nationwide in 2014 over the course
of 229 tournaments across five tournament circuits, four of
which provide an avenue to the sport’s richest payday and most
coveted championship trophy – the Forrest Wood Cup. FLW
tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW"
television show and is broadcast to more than 564 million
households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed
weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world. FLW is
committed to providing a lifestyle experience that is the “Best
in Fishing, On and Off the Water.” For more information about
FLW visit FLWOutdoors.com and look for FLW on Twitter, Facebook,
Pinterest and YouTube.
Courtesy of FLWOutdoors.com

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — The weather in Kissimmee was sublime last
weekend with bluebird skies and balmy temperatures. Bassmaster
Elite Series pro Shaw Grigsby even broke a sweat while practice
fishing on Lake Tohopekaliga for the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster
Southern Open presented by Allstate, Jan. 23-25.
“If the weather stays like it is now, it would be amazing
fishing,” said Grigsby, who hails from Gainesville, Fla. “With
these conditions, we could see a tournament like when Dean Rojas
won quite a few years back.”
It was in January 2001 that Rojas won in Kissimmee with 108
pounds, 12 ounces, an impressive victory that Grigsby believes
can be duplicated. With that win, Rojas also secured the all-
time one-day catch record for a five-bass-limit tournament with
45-pounds, 2 ounces.
“This is a great lake — one of the best lakes in the state of
Florida because it has the big fish,” Grigsby said. “You have
the potential to catch a 13-pounder with every flip, every
pitch, every cast.
“The last few weeks, everyone has been saying it’s really tough
fishing here, and the weights are down. But that’s not going to
happen in this tournament. You’ll see normal stringers in the 12-
to 14-pound range. Then you’ll see guys with over 20, and one
guy who really gets on it and has a 30-pound stringer.”
Grigsby predicts that the cold weather, which may be a factor,
will really only hinder the sight fishing. He anticipates the
first morning of the tournament to be in the 36-degree
temperature range, which will push the bass off the beds but not
off the bite.
“I’m excited about it and looking forward to it,” Grigsby
said. “The cool thing about this time of year is that you can
catch fish doing it all. If you like cranking and doing that
stuff, fine. If you like flipping and pitching, you’re good to
go.”
Grigsby, who hosts his own television show, One More Cast,
sometimes will film on Lake Toho and tries to visit the fishery
at least once a year for the opportunity to bring in a monster
bass.
“I like to sight fish in February when you can find 12-, 13- or
even 14-pounders,” Grigsby said. “This is always a great place
to fish.”
Boats will take off daily at 7 a.m. local time from Big Toho
Marina, 101 Lakeshore Blvd., Kissimmee, FL 34741. Weigh-ins on
Day 1 and Day 2 will be held at the same location. On Saturday,
the final weigh-in will be held at Bass Pro Shops, 5156
International Dr., Orlando, FL 32819.
To follow the action, visit Bassmaster.com.
Courtesy of BASS Communications.

Aaron Martens Heads Into Bassmaster Classic At Top Of His Game
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Four times a Bassmaster Classic bridesmaid
means only that the odds are with Aaron Martens to finally be
the bride.
That’s how Martens regards his legendary four near misses to be
the world champion. It’s a positive spin on what could be heavy
baggage heading into the Feb. 21-23 GEICO Bassmaster Classic on
Lake Guntersville and in Birmingham, Ala., Martens’ home base.
“I feel very fortunate to have come that close four times. It
makes me feel like I can win. You’re that close in a short
period of time; the odds are with you; it’s going to happen,”
said Martens, who is looking for his first Classic crown.
Martens has more than the odds going for him this time around.
He has momentum after wrapping up his 2013 Bassmaster Elite
Series season by adding another Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the
Year title to his first AOY title from 2005.
He has a solid track record in Classic competitions. He’s
competed in 14 Classics since 1999, missing only in 2003 after
an uncharacteristic off year. In nine of the 14, he scored a Top
12 finish. In only three of those 14 did he fail to advance to
the third-day finals.
In his Bassmaster career, he’s won six times (and placed second
a dozen times). One of those wins was in the Bassmaster Elite
Series on Lake Guntersville in May 2009.
And now the world championship is coming to a lake he’s not
only won on, but competed on eight times since 2002. Not to
mention that the Classic is where he lives. His home in Leeds,
Ala. — just east of Birmingham — is 78 miles from Lake
Guntersville.
Martens has been doing his Classic homework. One priority has
been keeping himself in top physical condition.
“I’ve been training so I can try to spank everybody. If I can
get into phenomenally good shape, maybe it will help that much,”
he said.
Martens is a runner — a marathoner. For him a 10-mile run is a
warm-up. Unless he’s laid up in bed sick, he’s out running every
day.
In the same dedicated way, he cares for his tackle, boat,
clothing and any other gear and tools he relies on.
“I work on it all the time. I put in eight hours a day in the
offseason, sometimes more,” he said. “I’m getting ready for the
Classic and for the whole season. I start over every year and go
through everything to make sure it’s perfect.”
Martens’ Classic homework also included about six days on Lake
Guntersville over a two-week period. Other commitments kept his
Classic pre-fishing time relatively short for someone who lives
nearby. But he said six days was enough to bring him up-to-date
on the big fishery and enough time to know there are many things
about Guntersville he doesn’t know.
Overall, he liked what he saw.
“The lake’s healthy and the grass was tremendous, even in
December,” he said. “With the grass as thick as it is, the bass
are averaging pretty good size. For all the fishing pressure
Guntersville gets, the fishing still holds up. That’s what’s so
amazing about Guntersville.
“And I like Guntersville’s layout — long, with a lot of creeks
on it, and good main-river stuff.”
He compared the lake now to how it was in 2009, when he won the
Elite event.
“In ’09, you could catch 20 or 30 5-pounders a day. I don’t see
that now,” he said. “But you can catch four or five of the big
ones a day.”
He said his Guntersville goal is to bring in at least 25 pounds
a day.
“I don’t know if I’ll do it, but if I can, my chances (of
winning) are good,” he said.
If conditions are perfect, he said, he expects to see some 30-
pound bags.
“I’m pretty sure the record will fall,” he said, referring to
the Classic weight record for five fish over three days set at
69 pounds, 10 ounces in 2011 by Kevin VanDam on the Louisiana
Delta.
Martens, of course, hopes to be the one who busts the record —
to be the bride this time.
Courtesy of BASS Communications.

Big bags expected on the Big O!
OKEECHOBEE, Fla. (Jan. 2, 2014) – The Rayovac FLW Series is
headed to Lake Okeechobee January 9-11 when as many as 300 pros
and co-anglers take to the water for the first of three stops in
the Southeast Division. The Lake Okeechobee event is presented
by Power-Pole.
Castrol pro Mike Surman knows Lake Okeechobee very well.
Throughout his career he has won eight brand new fully-rigged
bass boats in tournament competition just on Okeechobee. If you
want to know how the lake is setting up prior to a tournament,
you can’t go wrong talking to him.
“Okeechobee is one of those lakes that changes every day,”
said the Boca Raton native. “Everybody knows everything, there
are no secrets.
“No matter what the conditions are, the fishing is going to
be good. If the weather is really nice and it’s mild throughout
the week, then fishing could be unbelievable. If we get a front,
we’ll still see some really good weights but the total field
won’t all really catch them.”
An optimistic Surman went on to explain that because of the
volume of fish moving shallow, good weights should be expected
almost regardless of the weather. He said that there were fish
in all stages of the spawn – shallow and vulnerable throughout
the lake.
“A couple baits could dominate, totally depending on the
weather,” said Surman. “I think a guy has a chance to win on a
Gambler Big EZ, because that bait really catches big fish. If we
get some heavy cold fronts, then flipping will be more popular
and I’ll be throwing a Gambler Crawdaddy or even a Gambler BB
Cricket if it gets really cold.
“I think somebody is going to have to break a big bag to
win, just because the fishing is so good right now,” finished
the Florida pro. “I’d say that 70 pounds or a little bit more
will win it.”
Anglers will take off from C. Scott Driver Park located at
10100 W. Highway 78 in Okeechobee, Fla., at 7:30 a.m. daily.
Weigh-ins will be held at the launch site beginning at 3 p.m.
Thursday and Friday. Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at
Gilbert Chevrolet located at 3550 U.S. 441 in Okeechobee at 4
p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
Pros will fish for a top award of $40,000 plus a Ranger
Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard if
Ranger Cup guidelines are met. Co-anglers will cast for a top
award consisting of a Ranger Z117 with 90-horsepower Evinrude or
Mercury outboard and $5,000 if Ranger Cup guidelines are met.
The Rayovac FLW Series consists of five divisions – Central,
Northern, Southeast, Texas and Western. Each division consists
of three tournaments and competitors will be vying for valuable
points in each division that could earn them the opportunity to
fish in the Rayovac FLW Series Championship. The 2014 Rayovac
FLW Series Championship is being held Oct. 30-Nov. 1 on Wheeler
Lake in Rogersville, Ala.
The Rayovac FLW Series tournament on Lake Okeechobee is
being hosted by the Okeechobee County Tourism Development
Council.
For complete details and updated information visit
FLWOutdoors.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news
and more, follow the Rayovac FLW Series on Facebook at
Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
Courtesy of FLW Outdoors.

WHAT: The 2014 Walmart BFL season begins on Saturday, Jan., 4.
The Gator division will make FLW’s first visit of the year to
Lake Okeechobee. Up to 400 boaters and co-anglers will be
competing in each event for top awards up to $8,000 and $3,000
respectively.
WHEN: Saturday, Jan. 4, 2013
WHERE: Gator Division
Lake Okeechobee
Roland & Mary Ann
Martin’s Marina
920 E. Del Monte Ave.
Clewiston, Fla.
NOTES: The bass fishing on Lake Okeechobee is expected to be
excellent. With good weather anglers will likely find the bass
very cooperative, and big limits will be brought to the scales.
If the weather holds out, fishermen will be able to catch fish
by sight-fishing, flipping plastics and jigs in mats and reeds
and throwing moving baits like the Gambler Big EZ and
ChatterBaits in the grass. If a cold front comes to town, the
competitors will face a tough challenge, and punching big
weights into thick cover will likely produce the winning weight.
The winner is expected to bring a five-fish limit weighing about
25 pounds to the scales.
The BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers,
with 120 tournaments throughout the season, five in each
division. The top 40 boaters and co-anglers from each division
qualify for a regional tournament and are competing to finish in
the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-
running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the
Walmart BFL All-American presented by Chevy. Top winners in the
BFL can move up to the EverStart Series or even the Walmart FLW
Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow
the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at
Twitter.com/FLWOutdoors.
ABOUT FLW
FLW is the industry’s premier tournament-fishing organization,
providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete
for millions in prize money nationwide in 2014 over the course
of 229 tournaments across five tournament circuits, four of
which provide an avenue to the sport’s richest payday and most
coveted championship trophy – the Forrest Wood Cup. FLW
tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW"
television show and is broadcast to more than 564 million
households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed
weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world. FLW is
committed to providing a lifestyle experience that is the “Best
in Fishing, On and Off the Water.” For more information about
FLW visit FLWOutdoors.com and look for FLW on Twitter, Facebook,
Pinterest and YouTube.
Courtesy of FLWOutdoors.com